A week before Comic-Con we learned that Twentieth Century Fox had hired Kick-Ass 2 writer and director Jeff Wadlow to begin work on a script for a potential X-Force film, and the studio had even secured the related domain names leading us to believe X-Force is the next franchise installment after Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theaters next summer.

With Wadlow coming to Comic-Con to promote Kick-Ass 2 and Fox bringing the X-Men in force to the event as well, Wadlow had a lot of questions to answer from fans and media and we learned that he recently began writing the script even though he’s busy with his current film, and that he landed the job thanks to his pal Mark Millar. It doesn’t hurt that Matthew Vaughn handpicked the director to replace him with the Kick-Ass sequel and that Vaughn’s intimately involved with the X-Men and Fantastic Four at Fox either.

Chatting with Collider at the big event, Wadlow spoke about how he got involved with Fox and landed the gig of writing X-Force and how he believes the future of the X-Men franchise is about crafting and crossing over different teams of characters rather than going the route of solo spinoffs.

“Yeah I’m incredibly excited about it. I love the current run, I love the original run. I think it’s the best book right now for Marvel, I really enjoy it. Basically when they announced that Mark [Millar] was going to be overseeing the title for Fox … they were talking about all these different ideas for franchises they could build and characters, and I said, ‘X-Force. Gotta do an X-Force movie.’ And they originally said, ‘Maybe that’s a second step.’ And I said, ‘No, it’s about teams.’ That’s what, to me, the X-Universe is about. It’s not about doing movies with individual characters and then bringing them together in a team; that’s what Marvel already did with The Avengers. I think the next step is to have these teams and see how they bounce off of each other, that’s where you can have crossover potential. I said, ‘The first one’s gotta be X-Force and I want to do it. What’s it going to take?’ Mark was really supportive and he’s just been a tremendous ally of mine. I’m really grateful that he went to Fox and said, ‘This is the guy.'”

As for the timeline for when Wadlow got involved, recall that Mark Millar was only hired by Fox in September of last year and he was quick to enlist Wadlow, who first started talking about the project with Millar and Fox over the holidays but really didn’t get into writing it until recently, in June. How much creative control does Wadlow have?

“It’s 100% the version I wanted to do. I worked it out. This wasn’t some open assignment where they were like, ‘Who’s out there that wants to do this?’ When I heard Mark get that job, I said, ‘I want to do an X-Force movie and this is the way I would do it.’ I pitched to him and he gave me a few ideas and some notes, not as a studio mandate, just as a friend and a collaborator. Steve Asbell at Fox heard it, loved it, bought it and said, ‘Let’s do it!’ It’s the movie I wanted to make.”

“Look, I’m a huge Deadpool fan, who doesn’t love Wolverine – but obviously Cable is an iconic character we haven’t seen onscreen yet. I love Psylocke, Domino is an amazing character – it’s a long list of characters that have appeared in X-Force – Colossus is in the current lineup… There are a lot of really exciting characters that you can use in X-Force that have been in other movies, that haven’t shown up, or maybe there’s ways to re-imagine them, even though they might’ve shown up in other films.”

Since we now know the script – at this point – is entirely up to the creativity of Wadlow and Millar, and knowing who Wadlow favors, could we see Deadpool, Domino, Psylocke and Wolverine/Cable as four of the five? Wadlow’s choice words about being able to “re-imagine” existing cinematic characters could be a hint at our theory that Cable could end up being the Ultimate version of the character from Marvel Comics where he’s an aged version of Wolverine instead of being the son of X-Men leader Cyclops. The fact that it’s Wolverine who travels back in time in X-Men: Days of Future Past and seeing him with some grey hair in the Comic-Con footage lends credence to this possibility.

He could also be referring to Deadpool and Colossus, both of whom suffered from negative alterations from the books. Deadpool of course having his mouth sewn shut and becoming a mix of random mutant powers in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Colossus who somehow lost his Russian accent when introduced in X-Men 2.

Who would you like to see in an X-Force film? Warpath (introduced in Days of Future Past) is a must, right?

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I was thinking of that and who wouldn’t want Wolverine on the team, but I’m gonna pass on Wolverine. I think he is over-used and he would be the main character not just a team member, it would break the balance of the X-Force theme. I mentioned Colossus because he has potential and he just hasn’t had enough screen time. Either way I would pick any other one than Colossus: Warpath, Fantomex, X-23… but as much as I like Wolverine I wouldn’t like to see him in the movie even if he is potentially one of the five members. BTW, I like the Angel idea and maybe more members can be introduced along with him.

Definitely an underrated character. I loved the original run, but I haven`t read any of the new series. Shatterstar was my favorite back in the day. Someone needs to start a petition to make sure he is in this film!

He said five main characters( two of which will obviously be wolverine and deadpool). That means rhe main roster will be 5 but doesn’t mean other characters ( Angel or Warpath) won’t be featured. The villain could be the Hellfire Club, Mr. Sinister, or Apocalypse, with characters like X-23 and/or Cable as a recurring villain; setting up for those guys to join rhe team in a sequel.

bottom line is that Cable and Deadpool are who the fans want most. the biggest question remains….is it finally time that FOX is pulling their head out of their asses and giving the fans what they want….or just another empty promise?

For a Deadpool solo movie they will have to go R. There is no way they could really bring across everything that is Deadpool without going with a R rating. However I think in a team-up movie with him as just one of the members they could still get away with PG-13 as they wouldn’t have to focus on him alone. Much like what I picked up on in many of the modern X-force stories with him in. They are usually a lot less, violent, “inappropriate” (simply for lack of a better word) etc. than his solo outings. Granted this is not true in every case but it seems to be the trend… Maybe, hopefully if people respond well to his maybe slightly toned down character in X-force we could see a full R rated solo Deadpool on the silver screen someday… It is the dream.

they could not go the individual movie route anyway because none of their characters are box office draws, i guess wadlow has not noticed that wolverine has been in every xman movie, LOL. Fox does not care how much these characters will get jobbed as long as they can make money…

He basically told you a lineup and then said he could tell you the lineup. If Wadlow & Fox are serious about creating a new Universe to rival Marvels Universe then including Deadpool & Cable would be a really good start in terms of fan support. Whether or not they do the whole Wolverine as Cable thing I don’t know it probably be a good way to sell the movie at least internationally(Domestically it couldn’t hurt).

Cable (Cyke’s son with Madelaine Pryor), maybe Deadpool, perhaps Cannonball and Sunspot? Definitely not Wolverine–we have had enough of him for a lifetime. There are other heroes in the Marvel Universe other than Wolver-honkin’-rine!

Have them fighting Mikhail Rasputin (With Apocalypse in the background)

Then make a new X-Men film with:

Wolverine, Storm, Bishop, Iceman, Rogue

Have them fighting Sinister with Madelyn Pryor (who is acting as a back from the dead Jean Grey until later revealed for who she really is). Have Cyclops return somehow. (With Apocalypse in the background)

Wrap it all up with a major event, Call it “Age of Apocalypse” (even though it won’t be like the comic story of the same name) and have all of the teams together fighting the 4 horsemen and Apocalypse. Magneto can return here helping the X-Teams.

I think that idea/concept would be absolute cinematic genius. Take the concept the Avengers used and just make team-up movies building toward an all out x-universe war. No better villain to build toward for the x-men than Apocalypse. However, I would say Magneto needs to go back to battling against the x-men, not necessarily to team up with Apocalypse and the horsemen but he needs to return to full time antagonist.

Archangel, Cyclops, Sinister, and Apocalypse have to be involved somehow and big .I think Cable has to be a member, as well as Domino. Psylocke should be as well just because she works well on this type of team and is a awesome character, Dead pool should be on the team too but I think have him as a side villain at first building up his character would be the best way to do him justice. adding some others from the original X-men and kinda mixing things up sounds good to me, I love Colossus. There are so many characters that really do need some great story for themselves instead of Wolverine all the time, and could really shine on screen if handle right, just look at the positive Comments for first class and Wolverine just cameo’d. Just hope we see Beak, Archangel, Cyclops, Sinister, Apocalypse, more Night crawler, Rogue, and Gambit soon.

OMG for the love of god please leave wolverine out of this!!! Don’t missunderstood i like wolverine.. but i wanna se other characters shine!!! if wolverine returns hugh jackman will have more screen time.. PLEASE NO WOLVERINE IN THIS ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think were looking at this the wrong way, instead of characters, look at it from a skill set stand point. What do you need to have a complete Black Ops Mutant Super Team with 5 characters from all the rosters of past and present X-Force line ups.

If you use Deadpool, Domino, X-23, ShatterStar, Wolverine you really have 5 characters that are pretty much just killers. Sadly they are all pretty interchangeable. Characters that can work in a team dynamic that complement each other and could actually be used to complete a mission is going to be allot more interesting. If I was Wadlow this is how I would have broke it down before even plugging in characters.

Stephan Lang for Cable, as long as he gets ripped up for the role he could easily pull Cable off. Plugging in Archangel now lol. Cyclops really must have some big story either before or during this film.

The story would be great to see these characters having to use stealth and Black Ops training to go in and take down villains of all sorts, mainly Powerful Humans who are experimenting on mutants, and other things like that, and then throw in some very powerful Mutan villains who have their own agendas.

Cable, Deadpool, Psylocke/X-23, Colossus, Wolverine. But for sake of change take out Wolverine (as much as I love him). Add Warpath or Fantomex. Bring in Archangel later on… have them fight against Stryfe. Would be wild!

Yes Archangel, Sinister, and Apocalypse need to be in the movies in a big way. Gambit could work well on that team too and the different things he could do with his powers besides charging cards. I once saw him chew a piece of gum in a fight he charged it in his mouth spit it in the villains face and boom was awesome. we need to see them switch up the powers a bit and kind of get unique with them.

Depending on how the Days of Future Past movie end, they may have Logan start up the new X-Force team to keep up the good fight since the X-men were broken up after X3

Either that or have Cable as another time traveler who is hinted at post-credits that says that Wolverine’s traveling back into the past changed the future to be even worse than Days of Future due to Apocalypse or something.

I actually like the idea of making Wolverine be Cable like the Ultimate version. Maybe have him create the five member team. Deadpool, Psylocke, Cannonball, Warpath, and Domino. I imagine whether the hardcore Cable fans like it or not Wolverine will play that role. It allows them to have an established character to help introduce four or five new ones.

I wouldn’t read too much into the characters Wadlow hypothesized using. figures they’d like to keep something in the bag for later. deadpool and cable I’d agree are likely characters, with FOX looking to tie in with DOFP and all the deadpool talk.

as for villains, apocalypse seems like the next step in all the human/mutant strife that FOX films are centerd on. sort of villain that follows the possible sentinel future and can easily smother the planet. this would open the door for characters such as Mr. Essex and Mr. Worthington.